Thy Cæfar knighted me; my youth I spent (27) Of him I gather'd Honour ; This is Senfe, but it is one of thofe Sophiftications of the Text, which Behoves me keep at Utt'rance. i. e. at all Hazards, at the utmoft Extremity of Peril. Utterance, Extremity; fays the old Gloffary to CHAUCER: So, in a Poem prefix'd to that Poet's Works, and addrefs'd to the King and Knights of the Garter; Ye Lordis eke, fhining in noble Fame, To which appropred is the Maintenance i. e. Extremity, utter Deftruction. So in the Three Sieges of Troy, printed by Winken de Werde; His Dolour and Pain grew and enlarged to the Utterance. So Sir Robert Dimock, the Champion at K. Richard the 3d's Coronation, made Proclamation, as Holing head tells us ; Whoever shall fay, that King Richard is not lawful King, I will fight with him at the Utterance. i. e. to the Hazard of Death. So, likewife, elsewhere in our own Author; But he has a Merit To choak it in the Utterance. Coriol. i. e. in the extreameft Point. Rather than fo, come Fate into the Lift, And challenge me to th' Utt'rance. Macb. i. e. to the utmost Peril, Death it felf. And our Author frequently gives us the fame Image, with a Variation in the Expreffion. There I throw my Gage, To prove it on Thee to th' extreamest Point Of mortal Breathing. Richard zd. Troil. and Crefs. For I will throw my Glove to Death himself: Behooves me keep at utterance. I am perfect, (28) Their Liberties, are now in arms: a Precedent Luc. Let proof speak. Clot. His Majefty bids you welcome. Make paftime with us a day or two, or longer: if you feek us af terwards on other terms, you thall find us in our faltwater girdle: if you beat us out of it, it is yours: if you fall in the adventure, our crows fhall fare the bet ter for you; and there's an end. (28) I am perfect, That the Pannonians and Dalmatians, for This Circumftance is again repeated afterwards by a Roman Senator in this Act. This is the Tenour of the Emp'rour's Writ; That fince the Common Men are now in Action From this Particularity we may precifely fix the fuppos'd Date of this War on Britaine, for the Recovery of Tribute in Arrear to Rome; and, at one View, fee, how our Author has jumbled Facts against the known Tenour of Chronology. In the 10th Year after the Affaffination of Julius Cæfar, (Anno U. C. 719) Auguftus had a defign of making a Descent on Britaine: but was diverted from it by an Infurrection of the Pannonians and Dalmatians, in order to shake off their Subjection to Rome. Now this Period of Time was coincident with the 13th Year of Tenantius's Reign, who was the Father of Cymbeline: and Tenantius reign'd 9 Years after this. Again, we find, from the very opening of our Play, that Cymbeline had been at least 23 Years on the Throne: for it was twenty Years fince his two Sons were ftoln, and the eldest of them then was at least 3 Years Old. Now the 23d of Cymbeline falls in with the 42d of Auguftus, the very Year in which Chrift was born. So that our Author has confufedly blended Facts at 32 Years diftance from each Other. Whether he was aware of, or neglected, this Difcordance in Time, it has contributed to another Abfurdity. It is faid more than once in our Play, That the Remembrance of the Romans is yet fresh in the Britains, Grief: i. e. that they ftill felt the fmart of their Overthrow. Now Julius Cæfar fubdued Britaine, 11 Years before his Affaffination, in the Year of Rome 698. This War on Cymbeline cannot be before the 42d Year of Auguftus: (U. C. 751) fo that here is an Interval of 53 Years, a Time fufficient to erase the Memory of the most dreadful Enemy; especially in a People, who are boafting of the ftrength they have acquir'd fince their Defeat. CC 4 Luc. Luc. So, Sir. Cym. I know your master's pleasure, and he mine: All the Remain is, Welcome. Enter Pifanio, reading a Letter. [Exeunt. Pif. How? of adultery? wherefore write you not, Is fall'n into thy car? what falfe Italian, blood! If it be fo to do good fervice, never I, her! Let me be counted ferviceable. How look I, So much as this fact comes to? Do't her the letter, [Reading. That I have fent her, by her own command Enter Imogen. I'm ignorant in what I am commanded. Pif. Madam, here is a letter from my lord. You good Gods, Of (yet not That That we two are afunder; let that grieve him! All but in that. Good wax, thy leave.- Bleft be You clasp young Cupid's tables: good news, Gods! [Reading. JUSTICE, and your father's wrath, should be take me in his Dominion, could not be fo cruel to me; but you, oh the dearest of creatures, would even renew me with your eyes. Take notice, that I am in Cambria, at Milford-Haven; what your own love will out of this advise you, follow. So, he wishes you all happiness, that remains loyal to his vow, and your increafing in love; Leonatus Pofthumus. Oh, for a horfe with wings! hear'ft thou, Pifanio? 66 (29) Some Griefs are medicinable, that is one of them, For it doth phyfick Love of his Content, All but in That.] Thus Mr. Pope has widely pointed this Paffage in his 4to Edition of our Poet: by which it is demonftrable, he did not understand it. If ·Grief phyficks Love of his Content, then it purges his Content away, which is by no means our Author's meaning. All the Editions have confounded the Senfe by a bad Pointing: I have reform'd the whole Context; and will fubjoin a fhort Paraphrafe by way of Explanation. Imogen, before fhe opens the Letter, prays, that the Contents of it may fhew that her Lord ftill loves her; that he is in Health; and that "he taftes Content. Yet (fays the, as it were correcting herself;) let him not taste a full and abfolute Content; let it give him fome Grief that "Fate has divided him and me; for that's a Grief, which will be me"dicinable, will exercife and fupport his Love: but in ev'ry other "Circumftance let him enjoy Content at Heart." I gave this Explanation, and reform'd the Pointing, in the Appendix to my SHAKESPEARE reflor'd; and Mr. Pope has vouchfai'd to embrace my Correction in his laft Edition. Glide thither in a day? then, true Pifanio, oh, not like me; For mine's beyond, beyond Say, and speak thick; gap from our hence going but first, how get hence? or ere-begot? Pr'ythee, fpeak, Pif. One score 'twixt fun and fun, Madam, 's enough for you: and too much too. She'll home t' her father; and provide me, present, A Franklin's housewife. Pif. Madam, you'd beft confider. Imo. I fee before me, man, nor here, nor here, (30) (30) I fee before me, Man, nor here, nor here, Nor what enfaes; but have a Fog in them, That I cannot look thro'.] Nor Where is the Subftantive, to which this Relative plural, them, can poffibly have any Reference? There is None; and the Senfe, as well as Grammar, is defective. I have ventur'd to restore, against the Authority of the printed Copies, but have a Fog in Ken, That I cannot look thro. Imogen would fay, "Don't talk of confidering, Man; I neither fee prefent Events, nor Confequences; but am in a Mist of Fortune, "and refolv'd to proceed on the Project determin'd. In Ken, means, |